Bonsai Garden Forums / BONSAI / General Bonsai

Bonsai Sago Palm

Lazar — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:22:44 GMT

Hi, this is my first bonsai tree and quite frankly my first plant (I'm not weird, I just recently moved out of my parents house). It was pretty cheap so I figured if I sucked at taking care of it that it wouldn't matter. It's healthy, the only problems are it came with a cheap plastic pot and the rocks on top are glued or something.

So my questions are: Is it normal to buy plants with these rocks that aren't separable? (It's not an artificial tree either, haha)

Is there any way I can take the tree out of the pot without harming it?

Any other recommendations on what sized pot I should buy or any particular soil/fertilizer? I'm really interested in buying more bonsai trees, I just want to make sure I'm capable of taking care of this one.

Overwatered Tree

Sharpy — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:17:05 GMT

Hi there,

I fear I may of over watered my Chinese plum bonsai tree, ive had it around 3 months and its always looked healthy until a week or so ago. The leaves have lost there colour and have started to curl up and feel very dry. I haven't watered the tree for about 3 days now and the soil is still very damp. I have kept bonsai for around 2 years but my other trees are Chinese elm, I think ive made the mistake of watering the plum tree as often as the elms. I also repoted the tree (in the same pot) when I first brought it and im not entirely happy with the drainage of the soil but the tree seemed ok so I was planning on leaving it until next spring for a repot, but now im wondering if repotting now would benefit the tree by getting rid on the wet soil? on the other hand would would the tree be strong/healthy enough for a repot at this time?

other info
I love in the Midlands (UK)
soil mix ive been using is 50% bonsai soil / 50% sand + mixing in a small amount of grit sand.

Any advice to save my tree would be greatly appreciated:)
[img]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h7/sharpydoo/bonsai/IMG_0357.jpg[/img]

Plant is dying help :(

Mr. First — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:25:13 GMT

Red Maple Plant

Use ready mix bonsai soil

water two times a day morning and dinner time

Is my plant to young to be put in a bonsai pot with bonsai soil?

Zone - not sure

North eastern USA-Connecticut

Newcomer?

Stymie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:10:19 GMT

When you visit the site for the first time, introduce yourself here, mention your special interest and whereabouts in the world you are:)

I'm Stymie aka Don, growing all kinds of bonsai, keeping goats and telling jokes. My location is Sheffield South Yorkshire UK.

Chamaecyparis lawson

shanusalius — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:55:04 GMT

hi guys i am new to bonsai and have recently bought a mature Chamaecyparis lawson in a 3 gallon tub. the trunk was probably 10-15 mm in diameter, i cut it down to around 9 inches and cut off any remaining branches on advise from an article i read on the internet. i have been researching it more and more and am concerned i have ruined my tree! any advise would be hugely appreciated.

thanks

shanus zone 9

Photoperiod for Ficus Retusa?

GrassHopper — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:09:48 GMT

Hi Guys, I'm new here and new to bonsai. Was given a Fig as a birthday pressie and just love it. I can't keep it outside, not yet anyway, and because of lack of natural light I have been keeping it under a 30w Warm White CFL for 16 on 8 off. It seems to be thriving, got lots of new shoots.

Is this the correct photoperiod?

Do I need to change the photoperiod as if to emulate the seasons natural change?

If I leave it on the same photoperiod will it just continue to vegitate n never flower or fruit?

Cheers

Blossom

Stymie — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:50:14 GMT

Flowers on the little trees have been most prolific this time. I think they must feel threatened by the winter weather and are attempting to propagate. The Almond and Cherry blossom is over now but I have Crab apple, Berberis, Potentilla, Wisteria and both colours of Hawthorne out at the moment. Satsuki has just popped the first three blooms and there's even a first flower on the Escallonia.
Has it been the same for everyone?

Typically topical.

Stymie — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:34:07 GMT

Buds are swelling in the UK and we should now be feverishly trying to catch up with the re-potting which has been delayed by the frozen root systems. We're still getting the freezing nights but things are definitely improving as the days get steadily longer. I had to shoot off yesterday to replenish my cat litter with another 90 litres. Its amazing where it all goes. I've even put some in the Fuchsias this year. All the best to you and have a good growing year. =Don.

Broken Branch to bonsai?

jaylc005 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:04:13 GMT

Hi chaps, i better introduce myself, im jay, nice forum you guys have here, ive always been into bonsai and did have a collection but i lost it when i split with a partner about 4 years ago, I do still however have 1 tree which was originaly a bare root japanese maple sapling, now 4 years old :) looks crap but its comming back to life which is a good thing!

Anyway, out the front of my garden there is what I think is a spruce or larch, not sure which, it has the appearence of a pine but the leaves are much smaller denser and softer than the pine needles, with a dark smoothish bark. I will post pics at some point, but heres the deal..

I accidentally snapped a lower branch from the tree, I gather at some point in the past someone has pruned the lower branch back and this left roughly a foot long twisted contorted branch with a sharp wedge cut on the end..

Needless to say, being attached to the rest of the tree, it had produced lots of side shoots and new growth, although messy and random.

when i snapped the branch, it snapped almost at soil surface level, and is about an inch thich at the snap.. i noticed a few very fine roots around the bottom, which ran about 2/3rds of the way around the branch/trunk all roughly 1cm long..

I have planted it into some random soil i picked up out the greenhouse, which seems hard to water but softer than the original soil it was in..

I also covered the break and everything except for the roots with organic rooting hormone gel, it is now indoors ontop of my fishtank which over time will warm the pot gently (nothing more than 24oC) over the course of the day, I am also spray misting it regularly with rainwater.. I have a selection of nutrients for various things so no doubt I have something here, I was hoping I could foliar feed it into producing more roots, the leaf mass is low but in comparison too root mass it doesent look like it will be a survivor.. what is your opinions chaps? any ideas on how to sustain the life of the plant until it has chance to grow enought roots.. I have garden lights of the hps and mh variety to also assist or i have a greenhouse, though its very cold here at the moment (uk) we had another frost today!

The main factor here is, there is already roots growing, they was white and healthy but very fine, and very little.. but the potential to grow them has already been overcome by the tree..

will it survive? I guess only time will tell (hopefully not to long)
thanks in advance

jay

Tree identification

Mr Miyagi — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:16:48 GMT

A nice little website for those that need help identifying British trees.

http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/index.htm

Take alook:w00t:

BIG LEAVES, HELP!

zwm — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:27:48 GMT

I have a small Chinese Elm, kept indoors on a brightish windowsill, although it is winter. I noticed recently some of the leaves were getting a bit big and so I pruned it back. Now a few weeks later I have aggressive new growth with even bigger leaves! What do I do? :w00t: Complete beginner so any advice welcome.

Can't wait for spring....

johnbaz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:32:44 GMT

Anyone else hate this time of year????

i prefer my deciduous trees fully dressed and not in their birthday suits:angry:

my job entails having to work 12hour shifts so, when i'm on days, it's dark when i'm going to work and dark when i get home from work...

i tend to lose a couple of trees as they don't get the attention that they need and with the warmer fall/ winters they can dry out rather quickly:crying:

roll on spring;)

john:)

dust tent

RoyH — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:06:26 GMT

here's a picture of my dust tent, which i have made up inside my garage.

its suspended from the garage roof & held in place by velcro & its to prevent the spread of dust all over the garage when I'm wood carving, also doubles as sleep over when the wife's cross with me;)

99p garden center bargin

hendo00567 — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:40 GMT

this is my first atempt at styling my first 99p garden center bargin lol :) iv had the tree a year and a half and after a new pot and bend in spring it looking a bit better . could any one tell me what it is ? im thinking its some kind of juniper maby

some disease

mikaa — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:13:51 GMT

all the foliage from tree is droping down!!!!!!!!
what disease it might be?
spidermites??
there are some [u]WHITE[b][/b][/u] mesh, tolks., near points where leaves ar growing from
i made some pictures!.

what kind of pesticides i should use? some homemade??

how do i tell the difference beteen dropping leaves and dying ?

adam_silver_cardiff — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:02:24 GMT

hey all as u may know im pretty new to all this. my tree is starting to drop its leaves. there appear to be some new leaves growing which i thought was odd. but how do i tell if its unwell or just dropping leaves ?

thanx

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new to bonsai .

adam_silver_cardiff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:46:11 GMT

hey all im new to the site :) ive been off work ill for about a month and my gf just gave my my 1st bonsai. ive wanted one for ages but never got round to buying one. anways its a 4 year old Japanese Zelkova ( well i think its Japanese ) ive ordered feed and some tools and books off the net. but just wandered if there are any immediate care instructions i should know about ? here's a little pic of it :

I also have a small bonsai/plant/tree of some sorts that belongs to my gf but im looking after it for her as shes just moved down to cardiff near me for uni and doesnt trust her mum with it . neither of us know what it is . but its a little stragly and shes never really done nething with it except water it . wandered if anyone could shed some light on it ? heres a pic :

thanx all :)
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PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:08:44 GMT

Plant Hardiness/Weather Zones:

To assist us in helping you, especially with plants/trees grown outside, it is very useful for us to know your plant hardiness/weather zone. When completing your profile, please add your zone after your signature. eg Zone 8

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potting up a crab apple seedling

adam_silver_cardiff — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:57:53 GMT

hey all. i have jsut been given a crab apple seedling from a mate. ( was bought off greenwood bonsai studio. the mate also got me a pot and 1lt of Azo Grit, bonsai soil ( ive also got mesh to cover the holes ) is there anything else i need when potting up ? and how do i handle the roots. do they need trimming or just leave them as is ? do i need to mix anything with this bonsai soil ? the seedling is about 16cm above the soil of its current ( plastic ) pot, here's a little pic :
[img]http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l179/new_world_disorder/DSCN1158-1.jpg[/img]

thanx

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can you take cuttings from a big tree

adam_silver_cardiff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:22:15 GMT

now i dont want to sound to stupid. but do you HAVE to grow a bonsai from seed or sapling ? or can you take a cutting from a larger tree ? ( an acer for example... a maple of some sort ) and plant this and grow it ? or would it just not work at all ??

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Yew Trees

RoyH — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:32:26 GMT

Hi all, below are some pictures of a couple of yew trees, which i have had the opportunity to remove from a small holding that the owner wants rid off due to the poisonus problem with yew trees. I.E his pigs may eat part of them??

Its perhaps too early to lift them, but i have no choice ie if i dont remove them, they are off onto a bonfire.

There are two trees amongst this undergrowth, which i have reduced in size ready for removal, they are around 30" tall.

here are the two trees ready for lifting.

you can see part of a chimney pot & part of some of his chickens to give you an idea of scale / size of the trees. I will update this thread as I develop the trees and just hope they survive.

BTW the trunks are around 4" diamiter as these trees have been cropped back several time over the years.

new bonsai owner needs help regarding pruning etc!

geordie mark — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:52:29 GMT

hi there ive been a fan of bonsai for years now and have wanted one for as long as i can remmber and yesterday my fiancee bought me one from b&q its only a mall one but hat was the size i was wanting anyway to be honest but now i have it home i was fancying some pruning and taking out some branches as there all over the place !will it be ok for mt to take some branches off and prune the leaves at this time of year ? my next question is also to do with bending the branches i was wondering how this is achieved ? i also want my main trunk to bend some is there any special ways i can train this ?:w00t: thanks alot

Mark.

BONSAI EXPO' NORTH 2009

Stymie — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:43:02 GMT

Don Valley Stadium Sheffield exit junction 34 M1 and follow the brown signs.

Sunday 27th September 10.00am to 4.00pm Admission £4 under 16s free.

All your requirements in one place. 11 separate displays. Demonstrations by Alex Evelyn, Rob Atkinson and John Armitage.

Be there or be square. See yer =Stymie.

Spring Clean :)

Tuppence — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:27:39 GMT

Hello.

I've just "spring cleaned" my bonsai. I removed the moss that had grown since last year and trimmed roots and replaced soil. Hope I've not done it at the wrong time! Looking forward to the new season.

Penny :)

olive tree

RoyH — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:34:22 GMT

well i got myself an olive tree today, which i couldnt resist, but if we get a winter like the last one we have just had i will need to find it some shelter from the frost. i will post a picture later.

Bring back to life

White — Fri, 08 May 2009 02:10:04 GMT

Hello, I came across a dead bonsai tree and have been told there are ways of bringing them back to life?

Any help on this would be great..

Woodstock

Mr.j.Boff — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:24:33 GMT

hello everyone i'm looking for a knew tree after what happen to my last one i been thinking about getting a white pine or a black pine if you hav any info or web site links you can send me.

for Identification

Tuppence — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:53:57 GMT

Hello Folks.

An online friend's daughter gave him this bonsai the other day and he would like to know what it is. Are you able to identify it?

[URL=http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2918553410047132684MePnzT][IMG]http://thumb4.webshots.net/t/74/174/5/53/41/2918553410047132684MePnzT_th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

It looks like a privet.

Thanks.

white pine

hendo00567 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:42:09 GMT

iv had my first white pine for about 3 month now and the tips of some of the needles are turning yellow , i let the rain do watering and only water it when its totaly dry ..... am i giving it to much water ? :(

Chinese Elm Hibernating?

shelf — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:59:07 GMT

Hi there,

I have got two chinese elms which I currently have outdoors. One of them is doing really well but the other has not shown any growth for 4 months but I have continued to water it. I re-potted it in February and then thought perhaps it would pick up outside so I put it out in April but since then it has shown no growth. Not sure if I did something wrong when it was re-potted (I bought a bag of bonsai soil from a garden centre and mixed in with some grit).

I keep scratching the bark off every 2 to 3 weeks and it is still very green underneath.

Please could someone advise what might have happened to it? I'm thinking its hibernating or something?

I would be very grateful for any advice.

Thank you in advance.
Shelf

Can I grow Bonsai Date tree?

iskhan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:09:43 GMT

I am living in Karachi Pakistan and I have a special dates fruit plant which grow only Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's city Madina about 1 feet can I convert this plant into Bonsai. I am new in Bonsai technique. Your help required for making soil because "Peat, sand, grit,Akadama Japanese Clay Granules,Kanuma Japanese Clay Granules" are not available in Karachi Pakistan so what is there alternate?

Juniper move

RoyH — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:07:11 GMT

here are a few pictures of a tree that started life as a horizontal style juniper, its been in several different places in our garden & it was always in the way, as it was yesterday so its been Bonsai-ed. i hope it survives as its not the best time of the year to do this sort of thing, but needs must!!

still more work to do on the jins, but that will do for now until i know that its survived the move etc

feeding question

barrymc123 — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:54:17 GMT

im using a bonsai plant food, that is 4+6+6 with micro nutrients it says put 5ml of food per litre or water, so should i use the whole litre of water? or just enough to soke the water.

also when i lift up the plant from the soil, i can see the roots there is alot of them should i re-pot or just leave it for a year?

Hello, all.

CrazyAmes — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:48:39 GMT

I don't know if i am supposed to start my own topic with an introduction but there's really no point standing around thinking 'should I post? Shouldn't I post?' so i thought i might as well, how else would I know? ^_^

Anyway, You can call me Ames, i'm an avid gardener which is unusual for my age apparently but still. I currently live in Wales, UK, a few miles away from Cardiff.

I got given this bonsai tree as a gift (My friend believed i ought to have a house plant so i'd have something to do while it's raining :) )) but have no idea of it's type though i suspect it's a chinese elm.

[IMG]http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a10/CrazyAmy/Photos/DSCF0462.jpg[/IMG]

I'd like to get it's species confirmed before i do anything to it, other than water it because each species has a different care guide.

introduction

Jinny — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:31:08 GMT

i've just registered here...and been having a look around...i'm a keen gardener...and just got my 1st 2 bonsai's(moved to the next level i think :) ) 1 is a sagarethia theezans and to be honest not a clue what the other is ?? just thought i'd introduce myself and say hello.

Jinny

help with indoor light

barrymc123 — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:51:35 GMT

ok i have a Chinese elm, i know this is ok to have out side, but my back garden has a large dog that like to really mess things up and my front garden is used by children, so i was wondering how to set up indoor lighting?

any advice will be great thanks.

black tar slime :(

hendo00567 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:48:42 GMT

could anyone help me plz . iv got this black tar like slime on 2 of my bonsai trees soil . when you touch it it is slippy and tacky , u have black on your finger after rubbing it . it is even maken the moss black as well . could some one plz help me :(

best of british bonsai weekend

RoyH — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:20:59 GMT

here are some random pictures of some amazing trees.

the national collection

more of the national collection

the Japanese garden

Another Yew tree

RoyH — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:09:35 GMT

This tree design took around 6 hours to re style, with some fine refinement still required, but thats for another time.

A question for Penny

Stymie — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:20:14 GMT

How have you got on with those four Azaleas that were in one pot. Did you separate them? I remember a nice red flower on them.